The Marine Museum at Fall River is a cultural gem and contains a wealth of Fall River Maritime History especially Steam Ship and Titanic memorabilia. Discover the art, books, models and many treasures the Marine Museum holds. This is a must see
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The Marine Museum at Fall River is a cultural gem and contains a wealth of Fall River Maritime History especially Steam Ship and Titanic memorabilia. Discover the art, books, models and many treasures the Marine Museum holds. This is a must see resource for landlubbers and mariners alike.

Carol Gafford is a public librarian, family historian, amateur archivist and book savior. She is currently the youth services/outreach librarian at the Swansea Public Library and volunteers for several museum and historical societies including the Marine Museum at Fall River, the Swansea Historical Society and the Bristol Historical and Preservation society. She is the editor of Past Times, the Massachusetts Society of Genealogists and is always looking for a new project to take on.

I recently received some astounding remarkable news, and once I heard this news my hair magically cascaded and became 4 inches larger on top. I transformed and was immediately 40 lbs lighter and I was capable of staying up until 4 am and still go to work the next day, I was proficient in the wearing really short skirts with cowboy boots and my 400 rubber bracelets. You would see me sporting my fringe motorcycle jacket and spandex and my leather pants. Adorning my eyes? Dial- a -Lash Mascara and lots of black eyeliner. My “rat tail” instantly grew back and entwined itself around my Bartles and James Wine coolers…..in other words it was the 80’s again because I found out that there was to be a benefit reunion concert featuring the bands from the Channel Rock Club.

For those of you unindoctrinated to the cult that which (sniff) was the Channel Nightclub http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Channel_(nightclub) do a little light reading on the place that was my heaven from the day I turned twenty one and witness the musical acts that have performed there. I remember that night of my 21st vividly, despite 2 bottles of wine and Midori drinks. The bands performing that first night were Trace of Red (a rock band fronted by local singer songwriter Greg Greenway before he discovered his sensitive side) and O Positive (my friend Gary and I, who was always my partner in crime at all Channel shows would say we were going to go see Dave, Dave, Dave Alan and Alex – the members of O Positive). I get lost backing out of my driveway but I knew how to get to the Channel simply head to the Children’s Museum and take a right onto Necco Street.

The concert is a benefit for the non profit “Right Turn Recovery” group and you can see the artist listing on www.bostonsbestliverock.com . I am so stoked for this concert that I actually used the word “stoked”. Some of the artists performing are:

Jon Butcher Axis – His songs “Don’t Say Goodnight” was a song of my first love and “Its only words” was a song of my first major heartbreak.

Lizzie Borden and the Axes – I don’t need no stinking “Go-gos” Lizzie Borden is way more bad ass, female rock band with super cool haircuts.

Robin Lane and the Chartbusters – former wife of Andy Summers of the Police, her hits “When things go wrong” and “Why do you tell lies” were paradise to the young female psyche of mine.

The Fools – I think, I may have made out with one of them but I am not positive…Super fun goofy band with their hits “World Dance Party”, “She Makes Me Feel Big” and of course Psycho Chicken.

Along with the Stompers and other surprise guests, I cannot wait to be at this concert, to taken back to a simpler where all you had to worry about was where you would wind up crashing for the evening or what to wear so you would be invited backstage.

I could probably write a short novel about my days at the Channel, I will tell you two of the better ones.

One time at the Channel I was backstage visiting “an object of my affection” after his show, I was invited backstage by his manager who I was having a conversation with at the time. I desperately attempted to keep eye contact with the manager but my eyes kept drifting to the mirror where I could see this person changing and with my young adult hormones running rampant I could not handle this, it was like looking directly at the sun. The manager whispered to me, “Amy you are drooling, can you tone that down a little, he’s a human being not a steak.”

There is also the time I got to actually perform at the Channel , little teeny black dress and epic big hair….I only forgot one thing…a bra, and that’s all that you could see in the pictures.